Sunday, March 7, 2010

Truthout 3/7

Zygmunt Bauman | On Languages of Power and Powerlessness
Zygmunt Bauman, Truthout: "The disciplining force of society is at its most effective when its human origins are denied or covered up. The admission that society - with all its prescriptions and proscriptions, rewards for obedience and punishments for veering off the line - rests ultimately on man-made choices and decisions invites critical scrutiny, dissent and resistance: What has been done by humans can be undone by humans. No wonder that throughout the modern era, attempts were made and continue to be made to represent the grounds for the demands of power-holders as beyond human capacity." Read the ArticleExplosions Shake Baghdad as Iraqis Vote
McClatchy Newspapers: "Iraqi polls opened at 7 a.m. Sunday, and within an hour, dozens of explosions could be heard throughout the capital. There were explosions also in Anbar and Diyala provinces. At least 30 explosions of all sizes could be heard, many targeting polling stations throughout Baghdad shortly after the polls opened." Read the ArticleMarion Brady | Falling Into the Ditch
Marion Brady, Truthout: "Washington Post headline, February 18, 2010: 'Lawmakers to launch bipartisan effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind.' Reading that headline, teachers familiar with the King James Bible are likely to recall one of Jesus' parables as quoted by Luke: 'Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?'" Read the ArticleKucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan
Robert Naiman, Truthout: "On Thursday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced H. Com Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week." Read the ArticleDavid Sirota | The Senate's Lesson About Democracy
David Sirota, Truthout: "When you look past the craziness, chaos and confusion of politics these days, you still find roughly two major schools of thought that aim to explain What's Fundamentally Wrong. The first says America is paralyzed by a political system that is too democratic - too responsive to citizens' whims. This is the religion of almost everyone in the permanent Washington elite, regardless of party.... By contrast, most people living outside of Washington (i.e., the Rest of Us) see America harmed by a political system that is too undemocratic." Read the ArticleLife in the Gazan "Buffer Zone"
Pam Rasmussen, Truthout: "The Israelis call it the 'buffer zone.' Gazan NGOs often call it the 'hot zone.' But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent living by raising wheat and olives. That is, until Israel declared the land off limits to Palestinians."Read the ArticleEducation Day of Action Rippled Through California and Beyond
Paul Abowd, Labor Notes: "Walkouts, student strikes and marches shook every level of California's embattled public education system on March 4. University of California students blocked access to campus entrances at Berkeley and Santa Cruz in the morning. In the afternoon, college students joined forces with K-12 students and teachers in downtown Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles." Read the Article